PICO DE GALLO:
Chop jalapenos, tomatoes and onions into a very small dice. (Leave seeds in your jalapenos for a hotter pico). Adjust amount of jalapenos to your preferred temperature. Next, chop up a nice-sized bunch of cilantro. Just remove and discard the long leafless stems before chopping. No need to remove the leaves from the stems completely. Place all of these ingredients together in a bowl and give it a good stir.

Squeeze the juice of half of one lime into the bowl. Add salt to taste and stir again.

GUACAMOLE:
Start with buttery-soft avocados. Halve them lengthwise and remove the pits. Next, with a spoon scrape the “meat” out onto a large plate. Next, with the bottom of a clean cup (or with a fork) mash the avocados, making sure to leave it relatively chunky. Add just a couple of shakes of salt to taste. Next, add a generous helping of Pico de Gallo. Fold together. Lastly squeeze the juice of half of a lime over the top. Give it one last stir.

Preheat oven to a high broil. At the same time, begin to boil a medium sized pot with six cups of water.

Cut tops off peppers and slice in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds and membrane.

Place peppers on a baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes, flipping halfway through. Reduce oven to 400.

While peppers are roasting, add cubed sweet potato to pot and boil for 10 minutes.

Chop chipotle or jalapeno peppers.

Drain pot and add sweet potatoes to a bowl with chopped chipotle pepper. Mash and set aside.

Remove peppers from oven and let cool enough to handle.

While peppers are cooling, heat a pan over medium heat.

Once hot, add the sausage/beef/chicken and brown for 2-3 minutes. Add the onion, garlic, and stalk of bok choy to the pan and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Reserve some veggies for the vegetarian portion.

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. Spread tomato sauce into the bottom of a dutch oven or 12×12-inch baking dish. Sprinkle with onion, garlic and jalapeño pepper and stir in 1 tablespoon olive oil and water until thoroughly combined. Season with salt and black pepper.
3. Arrange slices of eggplant, red bell pepper, and green bell pepper, starting at the outer edge of the dish and working concentrically towards the center. Overlap the slices a little to display the colors. Drizzle the vegetables with 3 tablespoons olive oil and season with salt and black pepper. Sprinkle with thyme leaves. Cover vegetables with the dutch oven lid or a piece of parchment paper cut to fit inside the baking dish.
4. Bake in the preheated oven until vegetables are roasted and tender, about 45 minutes. Stir and place in the oven for 5 more minutes. Serve over rice, orzo or pasta with shredded cheese.